No indictment for NYPD cop in Eric Garner case

A New York City grand jury has decided not to indict the New York Police Department officer accused of killing a Staten Island man Eric Garner,by putting him in an illegal chokehold. The NYPD is now preparing for more protests stemming from the decision.

Delivering a vote of “no true bill” Wednesday, jurors determined there was not probable cause that a crime was committed by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, who was seen on a widely watched amateur video wrapping his arm around Garner’s neck as the 43-year-old yelled, “I can’t breathe!” during the confrontation on July 17.

RT adds: The city’s medical examiner ruled Garner died as a result of the chokehold – a move which is banned by the NYPD – and declared his death a homicide. New Yorkers protested the violence employed by the officers in Garner’s death, as well as throughout the city after the autopsy was made public in August. When unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, Missouri by a police officer Darren Wilson three weeks after the New York City incident, the protests expanded to include Brown and the lives of others who have been killed by law enforcement.

Police in New York City began preparing for potential protests before the grand jury decision was announced.

“We, as you might expect, are planning accordingly,” New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Bratton did not reveal how many officers were placed out on the streets ahead of the announcement, but he said that officers have been told to walk a fine line between allowing the protesters to express their anger while keeping public order.